Ivany report to be discussed at SMU on Monday

Ray Ivany, chairman of of the One Nova Scotia coalition, speaks at Pier 21 in Halifax in this February photo. His report will be the subject of a public forum on Monday at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax. (RYAN TAPLIN / Staff)

A public forum on the Ivany report about Nova Scotia’s economic future is to take place Monday in Halifax.

The roundtable discussion will precede the annual general meeting of the Nova Scotia chapter of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, an independent research institute promoting social and economic justice.

Speakers are to address the report, released in February, between 4 and 6 p.m., in Atrium 101, at Saint Mary’s University.

The Ivany report has its champions but also its detractors.

Supporters say it’s a crucial document that must not gather dust and requires political action. Critics feel much of it has a logical, motherhood-statement feel to it, and say many of its comments have been made in previous examinations of the economy.

“Since the early 1960s there have been numerous major reports, commissions, and strategies both private and public aimed at steering the Nova Scotia economy,” the centre’s website says.

The report presented by Ray Ivany, president of Acadia University in Wolfville, “charts a path for Nova Scotians and strongly suggests that choosing another is not an option. There are, however, many economists, labour and business leaders, academics, elected officials, and others who have expressed reservations about the report,” the website says.

It says the centre “strongly believes the Ivany report requires a more thorough review than it has been given.” With this in mind, the organization has assembled a panel of pundits to discuss the report.

“This roundtable discussion will consider the implications of our economic approach, and that in the Ivany report, for the health of our democracy, society and environment,” the centre’s website says.